Torch



oct. 15, 1940.

R. M. SHEARMAN ET AL TORCH Filed May 7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR usselZ l. enf/mwand i Lec Zani/z;

[/LJ-)u/ ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1940. R. M. SHEARMAN ET AL. 2,217,970

TORCH Filed May 7, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 15, 1940 UNITED STATES TORCH Russell M. Shearman and Lee Zavitz, North Hollywood, Calif.

Application May 7, 1938, Serial No. 206,615

2 Claims.

This invention relates to torches of a type which may be readily used where an intense light is desired.

The invention contemplates that form of torch which is dirigible in character, and may be utilized in Coast Guard work, as an auxiliary for airplane landing elds, and for motion picture photography.

In its simplest embodiment, the invention includes a carriage having a hopper within which is placed some powder which may be ignited. This powder through a feed is directed from said hopper upwardly to a given zone, commonly called the igniting zone. Means are provided whereby the powder may be ignited and fed at a given rate after such ignition for a given period of time. As an example, vwe may use aluminum powder having a 400 mesh or greater, with a supply of oxygen, air or hydrogen brought into contact with the powder so as to provide a burnable The device to be described, by test, using aluminium powder, has a burning intensity of 10,400,000 candle power. Such a device is capable of illuminating a large area and approximates daylight.

The device is very useful where motion pictures are being photographed during late afternoon or where daylight has varying intensity, due to cloud effects, and the like. The present device is capable of giving a variableor constant candle power to overcome any light deficiency. By turning this device on and ofi, through suitable arrangement to be hereinafter described, it is possible to obtain various lighting effects upon a film, such as flashes of lightning, and the like.

In the case of the use of the device at airports, it is evident that the device giving the intense candle power heretofore noted, would be of direct benet to a pilot and certainly of great benefit for Coast Guard or other uses.

An object of the invention is the provision of a torch which is simple of construction, eiicient in operation, readily operated without danger to the attendant, capable of giving an intense light, economical as to operating costs, is not subject to burn out, readily movable from place to place, is compact in nature, and capable of performing duties practically incapable of performance by incandescent or arc lights.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel and useful provision, formation, construction, association, and relative arrangement of parts', members, and features, all as shown in a certain embodiment in the accompanying drawings, described generally, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings: b

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of the improved torch,

Figure 2 is an enlarged view, partly in vertical section, of the torch taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1l Figure 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 4 4 of Figure 1, and,

Figure 5 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view on the line 4-4 of Figure l.

Figure 1 is illustrative of a device capable of carrying into effect the invention. This device includes a hopper l suitably supported upon a carriage 2. Thi's carriage is of the dirigible type, that is to say, capable of being moved from place to place. The carriage takes a simple form in Figure 1, being provided with three spaced-apart wheels 3, 4 and 5. A11 of the wheels are of the castor type, being provided with yokes designated generally as 6, to which are secured the wheel axles, the yokes in turn carrying the usual studs which are swivelly connected to the frame. This frame may have its longitudinal members 1 in angular relationship forming a triangle. To this end, ttings designated generally as 8, are provided for such members 1, the fittings-having a portion 9 for receiving the members 'l and a member I0 at an angle to the members 9. Angularly related posts or pedestals ll, of which there may be a plurality, in the present instance. three, carry at their upper ends a band I2 adapted to encircle the periphery of the hopper l. Suitable means I3 may be provided for tightening said band about the hopper. As shown in the drawings, the hopper is substantially cylindrical in form, for a portion thereof, the lowermost end having a tapered or conical wall, as shown at M. The conical portion is provided with an annular wall l5, and the opposite end of the hopper is provided with an annular closure plate I6, which closure plate in turn is provided with a cover I1. A tube, casing or conduit I8 is disposed centrally within the hopper and extends to a given height above the top of the hopper, as best illustrated in Figures 1 and 4. This tube is passed through the opening I9 of the plate I6, and is held positioned by said plate by means of an annular flanged ring 20, which ring carries locking screws 2l. It is to the flange of this ring that the hinge 22 of the cover I'l is secured. Diametrically disposed struts .23 are secured to the inner wall of the hopper and to a clamp ring 24, which clamp engages the lower end of the said tube I8. In this manner, the tube is braced within the hopper. It will be observed that the mouth end of the tube within the hopper is disposed a certain distance above the member I5 of the conical portion thereof. The reason for this construction will be set forth later.

That portion of the tube I8 which extends upwardly and beyond the top of the hopper, as i1- lustrated in Figure 1, has secured to its outermost end by screw-threading or otherwise, a fltting 25. of converging inner diameter, although the said fitting has a portion 26 of constant diameter. Most aptly described, it may be said that the fitting is bottle-necked in construction. This fltting is screw-threaded at 21 to receive a threaded nut 28, which nut in turn has secured thereto divergent arms 29. .'I'he upper end of said arms carries a tubular ring 30, the ring being provided with a series of inwardly directed ports 3| communicating with the opening in the tube. 'Ihis tube is known as the pilot ring. Secured to this pilot ring and communicating with the opening in the tube is a tubular pipe 32, which has its lower end secured in any suitable manner, as illustrated at 33, to the top I6. It will be noted that'this tube parallels the member I8 and is secured adjacent said member I8, in order to brace it, by a clamp 34. Due to the length of the member I8 and the fact that the fitting 25 is threaded to the member I8, a coupling is provided at 35 for the tube 32. Thus, the fitting 25 may be unscrewed from the member I8 Without disturbing the main portion of the tube 32. Valve means 36 is included within the line 32.

Centrally disposed within the casing I8 and likewise extended below the mouth end of said casing is a spiral screw designated generally by 31. This spiral screw, of the so-called Archimedes type, is disposed upon a tubular shaft 38. The lowermost end of said shaft is passed through an annular plate 43, the annular opening in the base I5, and'has secured thereto by keying or otherwise a bushing 44. A gear 45 is keyed to said bushing, as indicated at 46, the teeth of the gear 45 being in mesh with a worm 41. The worm has its shaft 48 secured to the shaft of a motor 49 and the motor may be conveniently secured to the tubular frame members 1 in any approved manner. The bushing 4I, gear 45, and worm 41 may all be enclosed within a suitable housing designated generally as 50. This casing 50 has a portion 5I of reduced diameter, to which is secured a split flanged collar 52, the flange portion of which may be secured to-the base I5 by means of bolts or the like 53. Means such as shown at 54 clamps the split portions of the collar about the part 5I of the casing and holds the casing in position. The shaft 38 is welded or otherwise secured to the plate 43. What may be termed an agitator 55 consists of one or more rods secured to a collar 56, the collar surrounding the lower end of thetube or casing I8. Each rod has a portion 51 substantially radial to the collar 56, a portion 58 paralleling the conical inner surface of the part I4 of the hopper, and a foot portion welded or otherwise secured to the plate 43, as shown at 59. Within the shaft 38 is a tube 88, the upper end of which tube extends through a spider type bushing 6I carried by the shaft.38. The tube 80 carries a fitting 62, the fitting securing a nozzle 63. This tube in turn is adapted to communicate with a source of air, oxygen, or hydrogen.

desired to use the torch itself, the motor 49 will be energized by conducting electric current thereto, and this motor in turn will, through the worm and gear arrangement shown in Figure 5, rotate the shaft 38 and thus rotate the screw. At the same time, the agitator 55 will constantly agitate any material, such as the aluminum powder, within the hopper and the screw will carry the powder upwardly through the casing I8 within the bottle neck fitting 25. Oxygen, hydrogen or air is passed through the tube 60 and the nozzle 63, with the result that the powder will be carried upwardly and, due to the presence of the oxygen. air or hydrogen, the aluminum powder will immediately ignite upon contact with-the flame of the pilot. Of course, the more rapidly that the screw is rotated, the more rapidly the aluminum powder will be directed upwardly to be burned and, of course, the rate of oxygen, air or hydrogen flow through the nozzle 63 will have to be regulated by a suitable valve in order that all of the aluminum powder will properly burn. This aluminum powder, or other powder of like characteristics, will actually burn and the flame will extend for many feet above the torch.

The aluminum powder when burning will give an intense white light, and the color of the light may be varied by adding various substances to the aluminum powder; for instance, by mixing iron oxide with aluminum powder in the ratio of 1 to 10, the flame and consequent light will be red; if the pollen of sunflowers is mixed with the aluminum powder, the flame together with the light will be yellow.

It is evident, of course, that the fitting 25, together with the nozzle 63, form what is generally known as an injector. Assuming that oxygen is used in place of air or hydrogen, the oxygen is passed through the tube 68 under pressure of approximately 150 pounds per square inch. Atomization occurs in the member 25 of the injector at the constricted portion, and in this respect the member 25 resembles one-half of a Venturi tube. The construction is such that the highpressure of the gas passing through the nozzle 63 at the constricted zone of the member 25 will lift the powdered aluminum upwardly. The gas is, of course, immediately ignited by the pilot ring flame and ignition will actually occur a certain distance above the pilot ring. In actual practice, it has been found that a torch of the character shown in Figure 1 standing some 6 feet 6 inches in height will have a flame extending beyond the top of the pilot ring of some 5 feet in height. As a rule, we prefer to keep the pressure of the gas, such as oxygen, at a constant rate and vary the actual height of the flame by regulating the turning rate of the screw 31.

While the carriage is shown as having three castor type wheels, still it is apparent that two of said wheels may be fixed so as to track in substantial parallelism, the third wheel being castored to the frame, with a suitable handle (not shown) attached to the castored wheel so that the torch as an entirety may be moved from place to place.

This invention has been thoroughly tested in the field to determine its utility and has been found to be satisfactory for the purposes intended, such as enumerated in the objects of the in vention.

At the present time, the drawings and description as given contemplate but one form of the invention which we have found feasible, although it is obvious that various refinements, modifications and variations may be made in practicing the invention in departure from the particular showing of the drawings without, however, departing from the true spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a device of the character disclosed, a wheeled carriage, a. hopper positioned above and secured to said wheeled carriage and having a normally closed top and base, the side wall of said hopper adjacent the base being conical, a conduit extended Within said hopper through said top and outwardly beyond said top, a lifting screw within said conduit and extending below the conduit in the zone of the conical wall of the hopper, an injector comprising a fitting and a nozzle, said tting secured to the outermost end of said conduit and having a constricted neck and said egress end of the nozzle positioned adjacent said constricted neck, and means for rotating said lifting screw, whereby any material within said hopper will be directed against said screw by said conical wall formation to lift said material upwardly through said conduit to the zone of the injector, the said injector nozzle adapted to have a gas under pressure passed therethrough to cause combustion of said material when the gas is ignited. v

2. In a torch as disclosed, a hopper adapted to house material tol be burned, a conduit extending outwardly from said hopper, a tubular shaft extending through said conduit, a helical conveyor'screw formed on said tubular shaft for lifting the material outwardly of the hopper and upwardly through said conduit when said,tubular shaft and screw are rotated, an injector housing connected to the upper end of said conduit, a gas tube extending upwardly through said tubular shaft, an injector nozzle connected to the upper end of said gas tube, through which gas tube and nozzle gas under pressure may be passed and introduced into said injector housing to comingle with the material lifted into said injector housing by said screw conveyor to support combustion of said material when the gas is ignited.

RUSSELL M. SHEARMAN. LEE ZAVITZ. 

